Thursday, December 12, 2013

This was supposed to be a sirloin tip roast but I bought what I thought was the closest thing to it, a cross rib roast. I've never used a cross rib roast before so had no freaking idea what was going to happen with this recipe. The only thing I was sure of is that the spice mixture sounded wildly fascinating. Cinnamon and crushed red pepper together? I don't think I've had that yet.

So incredibly easy to make! Even though my roast stood for an hour while the vegetables roasted, the juice leaked out everywhere while on the baking sheet and more leaked out on the plate; I thought for sure the beef would be like pink jerky, but it turned out to be nice and juicy and tender anyway. I'm mystified by that. The spice mix was excellent! I'll have to do another cross rib roast sometime in the future. Sandwiches are in my future and I bet they'll be awesome.

Cost:

extra-virgin olive oil: $0.09

3 lb. beef cross rib roast: $9.30

Total: $9.39 but I'll round up to $10 to include the spices, making each of six generous servings about $1.67.

Peppadew peppers, apparently found wild in Africa late last century, are supposed to be found pickled in jars or cans, maybe even in bulk in the deli case. Mild to hot, I guess they look like a cross between a red bell pepper and a cherry tomato. I searched the canned fruit/vegetable aisle, the end-caps of the big bins of the fruit and vegetable stands in the produce section, and in the condiment section amongst the pickles and pepper rings of three different grocery stores and came up empty-handed. If you plan ahead, you can order them. I executed the following recipe and simply omitted the six Peppadew's called for.

Bake 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender, lightly browned and peppers are lightly charred.

As with any roasted vegetables, tossing them in salted/peppered olive oil before spreading them across a big sheet and cooking at high heat yields tender, slightly sweetened, delicious veg. I didn't miss the Peppadew peppers but did wonder what they'd bring to the table. If I come across them in the future, I'll try this again.

Monday, December 9, 2013

This bread caught my eye and dragged me 15 feet. Of course, when Emo Philips said that he was walking down a street of Downer's Grove talking about "something" while I was finger-walking through a magazine.
Regardless, I just had to do it, I had to bake this bread.

Heat oven to 350°F if using a metal pan, 325°F is using glass dish. Spray 8.5x4.5" pan or dish wtih cooking spray. Line with parchment paper, allowing paper to extend over sides. Spray paper with cooking spray.

Make a well in center of flour mixture. Pour in egg mixture; whisk until moistened.

Stir in apples and crystallized ginger; spoon into pan.

Bake 55-60 minutes or until wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean but slightly moist. Cool in pan on wire rack set over sheet of waxed paper 10 minutes.I opted to put the pan over a small baking sheet. While I did have to wash it later, I didn't contribute unnecessarily to a landfill.

Remove bread from pan; remove parchment. With wooden skewer, poke holes in top of bread every inch, inserting skewer all the way through bread. Spoon 1/4 c of the warm glaze over hot bread, allowing glaze to seep into holes. Cool completely on wire rack.

Gently warm remaining glaze just until spreadable. Spoon over bread, allowing glaze to drip down sides. Let stand until set.

Oh yeah, this bread is oh-my-effin'-good. It's sweet but not crazy sweet (even with the glaze), and it has the zing of ginger, plus the little chunks of sour-sweet apple. Win!